WITH Boracay Island’s closure date on April 26, the national government is now preparing its “big ticket” rehabilitation works in the island, which include drainage audit and dismantling of illegal infrastructure that violate environmental laws. Tourism Assistant Secretary Frederick Alegre said Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores already reaffirmed his commitment to this effort, including some Boracay stakeholders who have initiated the demolition of their own structures.
“Six months is really not enough, but these are big-ticket items that can be done within the first six months,” Alegre said in a press briefing in Malacañang.
This is based on the draft timeline by the interagency task force, composed of the departments of Tourism (DOT), the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
In an initial report, at least 190 establishments within easement areas and 937 illegal infrastructure within forestlands and wetlands were identified by the interagency group.
With this number of illegal establishments, “there’s a lot of illegal connections on the drainage,” which causes wastewater discharge in the sea, DILG Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing III said. A working conference with stakeholders, local government units and officials from the DILG, DOT and DENR is set next Tuesday.
“We hope to get a clearer picture before Tuesday, but as it is we are still discovering pipes that have been hidden from us all these years,” Alegre said.
At the Cabinet meeting, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said validation on which resort owners are in compliance with rules and regulation of the island were recommended. Densing said this was readily conducted within the day.
“We found out that some establishments saying they are compliant end up not to be compliant at all,” Densing said.
In one instance, Crown Regency Prince, a hotel on the island, claimed they were compliant vis-a-vis the sewerage treatment plant (STP).
“We found out that they don’t even have a sanitary permit or a functioning STP, that’s why the hotel had to be closed,” he added.
“Based on the recommendation we’ve made just yesterday, during the period of closure from May until August, we are going to validate and do an environmental compliance audit for each establishment whether they say they are compliant or not,” he added.
Government lawyers are now drafting “potential administrative case” against individuals responsible for the polluted state of the island.
“We have finished now our evidence gathering, we’re finishing our case buildup activity; right now, our lawyers are drafting a potential administrative case,” Densing said, adding that their target filing date is on or before April 14.
When asked how many officials were included, no figures were revealed but Densing said the standard procedure is to investigate “all local officials who are managing the island.”
Technically, Boracay is only closed to foreign and local tourists, Densing and Alegre said.
This, given that the government cannot close it without due process.
“First of all, the government and its agencies cannot arbitrarily close institutions without due process,” the DILG official added.
Since the major issue of pollutants come from the market, which are the visitors coming into the island, Densing said it’s for the best they keep Boracay tourist-free temporarily, “so that while doing the rest of the rehabilitation, there will be no additional pollutants that can come into the island.”
To circumvent impending labor crisis in the island, some of the affected residents and workers are hoped to join the Boracay restoration works.
The shutdown was supposed to be at a later date, or during the off-peak season starting June, as confirmed by Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo.
With the initiatives of the local government to cancel tourist activities, such as the popular LaBoracay, on top of the rising level of pollution in the island, the interagency task force decided to move the shutdown at an earlier date.
“The local government unit decided to cancel LaBoracay, now that it’s canceled, there’s more reason to execute the rehabilitation on an earlier date,” Alegre said.
President Duterte on Wednesday approved the recommendation to close the island for six months starting April 26.
Image credits: Presidential Photo